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The Jacksonville Jaguars have made it to the start of the 2013 regular season relatively unscathed, only one player going on injured reserve. There is currently still an issue with Blaine Gabbert and his broken thumb however, but he's going to try to grip the football and throw this week, so we should know relatively quickly who's going to start.
If Gabbert cannot start the game on Sunday, that means Chad Henne is going to be at the helm. With either quarterback in the lineup, the Jaguars offense has seemed to fare pretty well during the preseason. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch has put in a mix of short and deep passing, as well as a good chunk of running plays to play to the team's strengths. We've undoubtedly not seen the whole offense, so it will be interesting to see it work after a full week of preparation and practice.
On the defensive side of the ball the Jaguars have six new starters, plus Tyson Alualu playing a brand new position. The old staples of Rashean Mathis, Daryl Smith, Derek Cox, and Terrance Knighton have all gone and signed with new teams in free agency, while a mix of rookies and free agents are in their place.
The defense also has a completely new look and scheme, which has been the cause of a lot of confusion by some of the fans and media, but overall it's look solid. It's still missing a pass rush, at least consistently, but that's been the story for nearly a decade and general manager Dave Caldwell can't fix everything in a single season.
The first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs will be important to set the tone for the season. Even though I don't think the Jaguars will win more than five or six games, winning the home opener can go a long way in kind of physically stamping the culture change that's taking place at EverBank Field.